Milpitas-based flash-memory maker SanDiskmay sell out to Korean megavendor Samsung, the world's biggest maker of memory chips. As prices for flash memory drop, SanDisk sale rumors have floated for weeks, including word of a possible acquisition by hard-drive maker Seagate. But Samsung could use SanDisk's portfolio of patents to beat back its rival Toshiba, which currently has a manufacturing partnership with SanDisk. Not to mention save some money: The Wall Street Journal reports Samsung pays SanDisk $400 million to $500 million a year in flash-memory royalties.